New Zealand Olympic wrestler Tayla Ford is coaching in Wollongong for one night only. Photo: United World Wrestling.
Illawarra athletes have the opportunity to learn from Olympic wrestler Tayla Ford this Friday 12 July, for one night only.
The first New Zealand woman to be picked for Olympic wrestling, and the first New Zealand woman to win a Commonwealth Games medal in wrestling, Tayla has been a competitive athlete since her dad started her in wrestling at just seven years old.
Tayla said she was anything but a natural to begin with.
“I hated it when I started because I didn’t get what I was doing, I didn’t understand the point,” she said.
“I didn’t win a match until I was 11 or 12 and I won that by one point, the only point scored in the whole match, and that’s when I thought maybe I’ve got it.”
The Adelaide-based athlete is running the seminar at Garage Jiu Jitsu in Bellambi as part of an initiative with Women’s Wrestling Australia to promote the involvement of women in the sport.
Tayla said wrestling was a fantastic entry sport for young women and girls that provided foundational skills that carried over into other sports.
She certainly has the athletic accomplishments to prove it.
In addition to her achievements in wrestling, Tayla has competed at a national and international level in sports from athletics to weightlifting and rugby.
The benefits aren’t just physical – Tayla said wrestling could help young girls and women develop body confidence and resilience.
“Confidence comes from capability; if you know what you can do with your body, you’re more confident in it,” she said.
“Wrestling develops body adaptability, body awareness, strength, and the connection between the mental and the physical.
“We do a lot of gymnastics work, so you learn how to move, how to fall, how to be resilient. You feel safe because you learn how to keep yourself safe.
“You’re being mindful of your timings, trusting what you see and think and going for it, so you’re learning to bypass those fears that hold you back from action.
“Wrestling develops a massive work ethic as well.”
That work ethic shines through in Tayla’s determination to make this Olympic Games.
Part of the qualifying criteria were for international competitive success inside and outside Oceania.
In the past month or so alone she’s competed in Hungary, Poland, Spain and Australia.
Tayla said she was stoked to be at the forefront of the growth of women’s wrestling in Australia and New Zealand and believed the potential for women in the sport was huge.
“I’ve been involved for 24 years and it’s still quite small in New Zealand and Australia; there are probably about 30 girls competing on the whole continent.
“But at the past few competitions I’ve begun to see friends coaching. For the women who are coming up to have those women as coaches and role models, that’s really cool, I’m really happy to see that.”
Tayla will compete in Paris on 5 August – but in the meantime, Illawarra athletes have the chance to learn from the best.
Her Wollongong seminar will focus on basic setups and creating openings for takedowns, and is open to all genders, ages and gym affiliations.
Tickets cost $60 and all proceeds go to support her self-funded Olympic assault.
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